Reynolds of Ludlow was established in 1946 by Arthur Basil Reynolds. The company was originally called Reynolds Woodware, however, in the early 1950s this was changed to Reynolds of Ludlow. Arthur Reynolds was raised as a Quaker, he served a cabinet making apprenticeship with Northover & Gilbert in Dorset and then continued as a pupil of Ermest Gimson at Stanley Davis in Windmere. Following the depression in the 1920s and 1930s the Quakers of Friends grouped together and started the Brynmawr Experiment in an effort to create employment and charity based welfare support. In effect of this, Reynolds went to work as an assistant to Paul Matt at the Paul Matt Furniture Company in 1929, a company which he then went on to run until it was liquidated during the outbreak of World War II. It wasn't until the end of World War II that Reynolds decided to set up his own furniture business, Reynolds of Ludlow.
Reynold's first exhibited his designs in 1951 at the Festival of Britain Exhibition. Following this exhibition the Reynolds of Ludlow began supplying to a number of prestigious retailers such as Heals and Dunns, and secured contracts with companies like GEC boardroom.